Snubbed truck



June 26, 1956 Filed Dec. 1, 1950 E. ,1. MAATMAN SNUBBED TRUCK 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 26, 1956 E. J. MAATMAN 2,751,856

SNUBBED TRUCK Fi led Dec. 1, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 76' IN VEN TOR.

United States Patent ice 2,751,856 Patented June 26, 1956' SNUBBED TRUCK Egbert J. Maatman, South Holland, 11]., assignor to American Steel Foundries, Chicago, 11]., a corporation of New Jersey Application December 1, 1950, Serial Nb. 198,635 14 Claims; (21. 105-197 This invention'relates to railway car trucks and more particularly to'a type incorporating novel snubbing means for controlling relative movement between the bolster and the side frame.

The general objectof the invention is to provide a novel, inexpensive snubbing arrangement between the bolster and side frame such as may be easily assembled and disassembled and which will perform efficiently in service.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a snubbing arrangement comprisinga leaf spring in slidable guide engagement with either a bolster or a friction shoe and anchored to the other.

A more specific object of the invention is to design a rd-' tatable interlock between the shoe and the bolster such as will permit assembly and disassembly of the shoe through the side of the bolster and which will accommo-' date rotation of the shoe on an axis substanti'ally'parallel to the longitudinal axis of the bolster.

A further object of the invention'is to provide a snubbing arrangement which may be carried by the bolster and of such form'that extensive coring out of the bolster and consequent weakening thereof is obviated.

These and other objects of the invention will become more apparent from the specification and'the drawings, wherein:

Figure 1' is a fragmentary" side elevational view of a railway car truck partly in section incorporating'oneform' of the invention, the section being taken substantially on the line 11"ofFigure 2; a

Figure 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of the structure shown in Figure 'lwith a portion of the bolster assembly and side frame shown -'in horizontalcross section taken substantially in the plane indicated by the line' 22of' Figure 1;

Figure 3"is a fragmentary cross sectional view of the structure shown in Figure 1' taken substantially in the' plane indicated by? the line '3 3of Figure 1, the bolster being shown in side elevation" with the-friction assembly removed to clarify the construction;

Figure 4 is a front view of the shoe;

Figure'S is an edge "View of the shoe; and,

Figure 6 is'a view'comparableto that shown in the right half of Figure 1 and illustrates a modification-of the invention.

Describing the invention in detail and referring first to the embodiment shownin Figures 1 5, the railway car truck generallyindicated 2 -comprises a side frame 4'at each side thereofwhich is of conventional design, as will be readily. understood by those skilled in the art.

The side frame 4 comprises tension and compression members 6-and 8 and spaced columns 10, 10 merging With the tension and comperssion members intermediate the ends thereofand defining a bolster opening 12 substantially centrally of the frame. The tension member provides a widened spring seat 14' at the bottom of the bolster'opening; The'inboard and outboard edges of the spring seat merge with upstanding-inboard and outboard flanges 16 and 18 to define a container for thelower 2 ends of load springs 20, 20L The bottom ends of the springs 20, 20 seat on the seat 14 and the upper ends of the springs bear as at 22, 22 against the underside of a bottom wall 24 of a bolster generally designated 26;

The bolster 26 is a box section member and extends at eachend into the bolster opening 12 in the related frame 4. The bolster member comprises a top wall' 28'interconnected at its lateral edges with the lateral edges of the bottom wall 24 by spaced side walls 30, 30. Thetop and bottom walls are connected'along the longitudinal vertical center plane of the bolster by a substantially vertical rib 32.

The sections of the side walls 30, 30 opposite the respective columns 10 are offset inwardly of the bolster to form pockets 34, 34. Each pocket has arear'wall 36' which comprises a center portion curved vertically of the' gagement on its intermediate portion 40 as at with the related concave sur'face 38. Each spring 42 extends longitudinally vertically and is arranged'to actuate a friction" shoe 46. Each spring 42 has top and bottom segments 48 and 50 which on their forward sides seat as at'52 and 54 respectively against the upper and lower portions respectively of aflat'back side'56j'of the shoe 46.

The shoe 46 comprises aflat intermediateor center portion 58 which adjacent the top and bottom ends'of its backside 56 is provided with top and bottom loops 60 and'62 which receive the top and bottom portions 48 and 50 respectivelyof the associated spring 42. Eachshoe' 46 has substantially centrally on each lateral edge of its portion 58 an outwardly projecting lug or ledge 64. Theinboard lug 64 of'each shoe-46 fits into an inboard slot'66 andtheoutboard lug 64 of each shoe fits into an outboard.

slot 68. The slots 66 and 68 are located at the inboard and outboard sides of eachpocket 34 within inboard and outboard webs 70 and 72 respectively, which extend transversely of the bolster and are formed as continuations of the side webs 30 of the bolster, the inboard web of each pock'et exte'nding between the inboard edge of the related re'ar'wall 36 of the pocket and a contiguous portion of the side wall 'o'fthe' bolster and the outboard web 72 extending fron'ii'th'e outboard edge of the related web 36 toa contiguousportion of the related side wall 30 outboardly of the pocket 34; Each ledge comprises convex top and bottom surfaces74and 76 which are adapted to engage top and bottom substantially horizontal, generally flat surfaces 78 and 80 of the related slot 66 and 681 It will be noted that "the curvature of the surfaces 74 and 76 provides'a rockable or rotatable mounting for the related shoe on'an axis extending substantially transversely of the side frame. It willalso be noted that the slots 66 and 68"ar e open'through' the adjacent side of the bolster toaccommodate'ready assembly and disassembly of the friction assemblyi Slots'66 and '68 are continued within' the adjacent faces of inboard and outboard guide lugs s2anas4; which embrace the adjacent column 10 therebetween to provide the conventional interlock between the bolster and the side frame. It will be noted thateach outboard lug 84 is of lesser depth than the bolster-end and the widened portion 86"at the bottom end of the bolster I opening in o'r'de'r'to permit the usual assembly and disassembly of the bolster with respect to the frame.

Each-shoe 46 h as on the forward side of'its intermediate-portion '58a'friction surface 88 which engages a -substantial1y"vertical friction surface 90 on a wear plate.92 mounted on the adjacent column in any convenientmanner asbywelding at 95, 95. It will be noted that the grooves 66 and 68 and the related tongues 64, 64 on the shoe 46 form tongue and groove interlocks between the. shoes and the bolster, and the tongues 64 are offset rearwardly of the forward friction surface 88 of the 'shoe. The topand bottom portions of each wall 36 are angled inwardly of the bolster as at 94 and 96 so that the top and bottom portions of each web 36 diverge transversely of the bolster or more specifically inwardly 'of the bolster. These portions 94 and 96 are located opposite the'loops 60 and 62 and are designed to provide space rearwardly of these loops to allow rotation'of the respectiveshoes 46 so as to permit rockable movement of the shoes and accommodate transverse canting of the bolster without imposing over-stressing forces onlthe. friction assembly and especially the spring. It will befnoted that each spring 42 has slidable contact atf44 with the. associated surfaces 38, which accommodates rotation of the shoe and springs and relative horizontal. canting movement between'the bolster and side frames is accommodated by spacing the lateral margins of each shoe inwardly of the inboard and outboard sides of the associated pocket and the ledges 64, 64 inwardly of the inboard and outboard sides of the inboard andoutboard slots respectively. p

. Referring nowto the embodiment shown in Figure 6 wherein parts similar to those shown in the previous embodiment are identified by corresponding reference numerals, the bolster 26 comprises the top and bottom walls 28 and 24. Each pocket 34 comprises an inner wall 100 which is substantially flat and extends vertically and. merges at its upper and lowerends with the top and bottom walls of the bolster. The lateral edges of the wall 100 connect with the inboard andoutboard webs 70 and 72 as in the previous embodiment. Each shoe 102 is substantially similar to the shoe 46 and comprises a ledge 64 at each of its lateral edges entering into the related slot 66 or' 68 and having rockable engagement at its top and bottom surfaces 74, 76 with the top and.

bottom sides 78 and 88 of the associated slot. In the present embodiment eachshoe is formed at the center of the rear side of its intermediate portion with a concave vertically curved spring seat104. The spring 42 has its intermediateportion :40 bowed outwardly from the related web 100 and seats slidably on its forward side against the surface 194. The upper and lower portions 48 and 50 are anchored and positioned by integral top and bottom loops 106 and. 108 of the bolster adjacent to the top and bottom margins of the web 100. The loops in either embodiment serve to anchor the related spring and limit its upward and downward movement by abutment with the intermediate portion 40 of the spring. In each embodiment the spring is further held from vertical movement by its curved face engagement with the related member whether the bolster or the shoe member.

The shoe 102 has at the upperand lower margins of the rear side of its intermediate portion, surfaces 110 and 112 diverging toward theforward side of the shoe which engages as at 114 the related friction plate 92 on a surface 90 thereof. It will be seen that the construction of surfaces 110 and 112 permits rotation or rocking movement of the shoe on an axis extending substantially parallel to the adjacent surface 90.

I claim:

1. In a railway car truck, a side frame having a friction surface thereon, a bolster member spring supported from the frame adjacent the surface, a friction shoe member carried by the bolster memberin engagement with the surface, a curved concave depression in one of said members, a curved leaf spring interposed between the bolster member and shoe member and having a flexed portion received within and continuously complementarily abutting said depression, and bevelled surfaces on the top and bottom of one of the members accommodating rocking of the members relative to each other, about an axis extending substantially.transversely of the side frame.

2. A railway car truck, according to claim 1, wherein one of said members comprises substantially horizontal grooves and the other member comprises lugs extending into the grooves, each lug rockably engaging at its top and bottom sides the top and bottom margins of the associated groove.

3. A railway cartru ck, according to claim 2, wherein the other member comprises loops receiving the upperand lower extremities of the spring.

4. A railway car truck, accordingt o claim 1, wherein said depression is on said bolster member and comprises a concave spring seat curved vertically of the bolster member, said spring has an intermediate portion complementally slidably engaging said seat and the end portions of the spring engaging the top and bottom of the shoe memher, and the bevelled surfaces are on the bolster member.

5. A railway car truck, accordingto claim 1, wherein said depression is on the shoe member on its side opposite that engaging said surface and is formed as a concave spring seat curved substantially vertically of said surface and said spring flexed portion comprises an intermediate curved segment complementally fitting against said seat and having end portions bearing against the bolster member, and the bevelled surfaces are on the shoe member.

6. .A railway car truck, according to claim 5, wherein said end portions of the spring extend substantially parallel to the friction surface and engage fiat surfaces on the bolster member adjacent to the top and bottom thereof, said bolster membercomprising loops receiving said end portions of the spring therethrough, said loops being abuttable with said intermediate portion of the spring to restrict vertical.movementthereof.

7. In a railway car truck, a side frame including a column with a substantially vertical friction surface extending transversely of the frame, a bolster member spring supported from said sideframe, and friction means carried by the bolster member including a shoe member pivotally supported intermediatelthe top and bottom extremities of theibolster member on a horizontal axis extending substantially parallel to said surface and in engagement therewith, and means on one of said members to accommodate the rocking of saidshoe member relative to said bolster member. T

8. A box-section railway truck bolster comprising top and bottom walls and spaced side walls, said side walls having pockets offset inwardly horizontally transverse of the bolster at each .end portion of the bolster, said pockets being curved vertically inwardly horizontally transverse of the bolster between said top and bottom walls and presenting outwardly facing concave spring seats, said walls 9. A bolster, according'to claim '8, and comprising spaced inboard and outboard segments extending transversely of the bolster at the inboard and outboard edges of each pocket and emerging therewith, said segments havingslots in adjacent sides thereof open through the adjacent side of the bolster.

10. In a railway car truck, a frame including a column membena bolster member spring supported from the frame adjacent the column member, a friction surface on one of said members, a friction shoe member carried by a member other than said one member, said shoe member engaging said surface, a spring interposed between and engaging said shore memberand said shoe member carrying member, said spring and said shoe member cooperating to permit rocking of said shoe member relative to the bolster member, and means on one of said members accommodating the vertical rocking of said shoe member, about an axis extending substantially transversely of the side frame. V

11. A railway car truck according to claim 10, wherein the means consist of bevels of one of said members.

12. A railway car truck according to claim 11, wherein the bevels are on the bolster member.

13. A railway car truck according to claim 11, wherein the bevels are on the shoe member.

14. A railway car truck according to claim 10, wherein the spring is a leaf spring.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Trowbridge Feb. 29, 1916 Taylor Oct. 16, 1917 Blattner Jan. 19, 1932 Busch Feb. 11, 1936 Lehrman June 22, 1948 Endsley Apr. 5, 1949 Pierce Sept. 1, 1953 

